A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington, D.C．Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice say, “Can you help me?” When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended．In a natural reflex (反应), I reached into my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it on her hand without even looking at her．I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar．But the blind woman smiled and said, “I don’t want your money．I just need help finding the post office.
In an instant, I realized what I had done．I judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be．I hated what I saw in myself．This incident re-awakened my belief in humility (谦恭), even though I’d lost it for a moment．
The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant．I left Honduras and arrived in the U.S．at the age of 15．I started my new life with two suitcases, my brother and sister, and a strong, serious-minded mother．Through the years, I have been a dishwasher, mechanic and pizza delivery driver among many other humble jobs, and eventually I became a network engineer．
In my own life, I have experienced many open acts of prejudice (偏见)．I remember a time, at age 17 — I worked as a waiter, and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me．I have also witnessed the same treatment of my family and friends, so I know what it’s like, and I should have known better．
But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going．That blind woman on the streets of Washington, D.C., cured me of my blindness．She reminded me of my belief in humility and to always keep my eyes and heart open．By the way, I helped that lady to the post office．And in writing this essay, I hope to thank her for the priceless lesson．We can learn from the first two paragraphs that_____________________．
| A．the author regretted his act of prejudice |
| B．the blind woman needed the money badly |
| C．the author was as poor as the blind woman |
| D．the author was a native American |
According to Paragraph 4, hearing the father’s words, the author was probably_______．
| A．rather hurt | B．very excited | C．deeply moved | D．greatly inspired |
According to the passage, the author probably agrees that one should_________．
| A．be nice to the elderly and the disabled |
| B．try to experience different kinds of life |
| C．treat others equally with love and respect |
| D．think about one’s past as often as possible |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
| A．Learn from Your Past | B．How My Dream Comes True |
| C．A Belief That Will Never Change | D．A Priceless Lesson in the Street |
Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars(火星), and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.
The first caves discovered beyond the Earth appear as seven mysterious black dots on the pictures sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. Each as large as a football field, they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.
“If there is life on Mars, there is a good chance you’d find it in caves,” said Jut Wynne, one of the researchers who noticed the features while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.
Jonathan Clarke, a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia, yesterday described the discovery as exciting.
One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm, suggesting hot air trapped during the day is flowing out.
“I said: ‘Wow, that’s a cave’” Dr. Clarke said excitedly. “People have been looking for these for a long time; now we have found them.”
He agreed such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life escaping from the bitterly cold, radiation-soaked(充满辐射的), dry surface.
“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,” he said. “If there are gases coming out, they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria. A cave is also a protection from radiation; the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”
The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lave flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago. The outside of the tubes cooled, forming solid walls, while something hotter inside allowed the remaining have to flow out, forming caves.What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．How the caves were formed on Mars. | B．How scientists found these caves on Mars. |
| C．Caves on Mars may be full of hot air or a sign of life. | |
| D．Scientists have completely recognized the surface of Mars. |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．water has already been found on Mars | B．the scientists found all the caves at night |
| C．it is certain that there is life in these caves | |
| D．the surface of Mars is bitterly cold, radiation-soaked and dry |
According to the passage, Dr. Clarke was so excited because .
| A．such caves could provide energy for life | B．they had finally found the caves on Mars |
| C．such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life | |
| D．scientists had long been looking for these caves |
Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include .
| A．lava and energy | B．water and radiation from space |
| C．gases and lava | D．water and protection from radiation |
Lying in the sun on a rock, the cougar(美洲狮) saw Jeb and his son, Tom, before they saw it. Jeb put his bag down quickly and pulled his jacket open with both hands, making himself look big to the cougar. It worked. The cougar hesitated, ready to attack Jeb, but ready to forget the whole thing, too.
Jeb let go of his jacket, grasped Tom and held him across his body, making a cross. Now the cougar’s enemy looked even bigger, and it rose up, ready to move away, but unfortunately Tom got scared and struggled free of Jeb.
“Tom，no!”shouted his father.
But Tom broke and ran and that’s the last thing you do with a cougar. The second Tom broke free, Jeb threw himself on the cougar, just as it jumped from the rock. They hit each other in mid-air and both fell. The cougar was on Jeb in a flash, forgetting about Tom, which was what Jeb wanted.
Cougars are not as big as most people think and a determined man stands a chance, even with just his fists. As the cougar’s claws(爪子) got into his left shoulder. Jeb swung his fist at its eyes and hit hard. The animal howled(吼叫) and put its head back. Jeb followed up with his other fist. Then out of the corner of his eye. Jeb saw Tom. The boy was running back to help his father.
“Knife, Tom,” shouted Jeb.
The boy ran to his father’s bag, while Jeb started shouting as well as hitting, to keep the cougar’s attention away from Tom. Tom got the knife and ran over to Jeb. The cougar was moving its head in and out, trying to find a way through the wall Jeb was making out of his arms. Tom swung with the knife, into the cougar’s back. It howled horribly and ran off into the mountains.
The whole fight had taken about thirty seconds.Why did Jeb pull his jacket open when he saw the cougar?
| A．To get ready to fight. | B．To frighten it away. |
| C．To protect the boy. | D．To cool down. |
What do we know about cougars?
| A．They are afraid of noises. |
| B．They hesitate before they hit. |
| C．They are bigger than we think. |
| D．They like to attack running people. |
How did Jeb try to hold the cougar’s attention?
| A．By keeping shouting and hitting. |
| B．By making a wall out of his arms. |
| C．By throwing himself on the cougar. |
| D．By swinging his fists at the cougar’s eyes. |
Which of the following happened first?
| A．The cougar jumped from the rock. |
| B．Tom struggled free of his father. |
| C．Jeb asked Tom to get the knife. |
| D．Jeb held Tom across his body. |
The Law to Keep the Oil Industry under Control
The Norwegian Government is doing its best to keep the oil industry under control. A new law limits exploration to an area south of the southern end of the long coastline; production limits have been laid down (though these have already been raised); and oil companies have not been allowed to employ more than a limited number of foreign workers. But the oil industry has a way of getting over such problems, and few people believe that the Government will be able to hold things back for long. As on Norwegian politician said last week: “We will soon be changed beyond all recognition.”
Ever since the war, the Government has been carrying out a programme of development in the area north of the Arctic Circle. During the past few years this programme has had a great deal of success: Tromso（特罗姆瑟[挪威北部港市]）has been built up into a local capital with a university, a large hospital and a healthy industry. But the oil industry has already started to draw people south, and within a few years the whole northern policy could be in ruins.
The effects of the oil industry would not be limited to the north, however. With nearly 100 percent employment, everyone can see a situation developing in which the service industries and the tourist industry will lose more of their workers to the oil industry. Some smaller industries might even disappear altogether when it becomes cheaper to buy goods from abroad.
The real argument over oil is its threat to the Norwegian way of life. Farmers and fishermen do not make up most of the population, but they are an important part of it, because Norwegians see in them many of the qualities that they regard with pride as essentially Norwegian. And it is the farmers and the fishermen who are most critical of the oil industry because of the damage that it might cause to the countryside and to the sea.The Norwegian Government would prefer the oil industry to
A provide more jobs for foreign workers.
B slow down the rate of its development.
C sell the oil it is producing abroad.
D develop more quickly than at present.The Norwegian Government has tried to
A encourage the oil companies to discover new oil sources.
B prevent oil companies employing people from northern Norway.
C help the oil companies solve many of their problems.
D keep the oil industry to something near its present size.According to the passage, the oil industry might lead northern Norway to
A the development of industry.
B a growth in population.
C the failure of the development programme.
D the development of new towns.In the south, one effect to the development of the oil industry might be
A a large reduction on unemployment.
B a growth in the tourist industry.
C a reduction in the number of existing industries.
D the development of a number of service industries.Norwegian farmers and fishermen have an important influence because
A they form such a large part of Norwegian ideal.
B their lives and values represent the Norwegian ideal.
C their work is so useful to the rest of Norwegian society.
D they regard oil as a threat to the Norwegian way of life.
The Law to Keep the Oil Industry under Control
The Norwegian Government is doing its best to keep the oil industry under control. A new law limits exploration to an area south of the southern end of the long coastline; production limits have been laid down (though these have already been raised); and oil companies have not been allowed to employ more than a limited number of foreign workers. But the oil industry has a way of getting over such problems, and few people believe that the Government will be able to hold things back for long. As on Norwegian politician said last week: “We will soon be changed beyond all recognition.”
Ever since the war, the Government has been carrying out a programme of development in the area north of the Arctic Circle. During the past few years this programme has had a great deal of success: Tromso（特罗姆瑟[挪威北部港市]）has been built up into a local capital with a university, a large hospital and a healthy industry. But the oil industry has already started to draw people south, and within a few years the whole northern policy could be in ruins.
The effects of the oil industry would not be limited to the north, however. With nearly 100 percent employment, everyone can see a situation developing in which the service industries and the tourist industry will lose more of their workers to the oil industry. Some smaller industries might even disappear altogether when it becomes cheaper to buy goods from abroad.
The real argument over oil is its threat to the Norwegian way of life. Farmers and fishermen do not make up most of the population, but they are an important part of it, because Norwegians see in them many of the qualities that they regard with pride as essentially Norwegian. And it is the farmers and the fishermen who are most critical of the oil industry because of the damage that it might cause to the countryside and to the sea.The Norwegian Government would prefer the oil industry to
A provide more jobs for foreign workers.
B slow down the rate of its development.
C sell the oil it is producing abroad.
D develop more quickly than at present.The Norwegian Government has tried to
A encourage the oil companies to discover new oil sources.
B prevent oil companies employing people from northern Norway.
C help the oil companies solve many of their problems.
D keep the oil industry to something near its present size.According to the passage, the oil industry might lead northern Norway to
A the development of industry.
B a growth in population.
C the failure of the development programme.
D the development of new towns.In the south, one effect to the development of the oil industry might be
A a large reduction on unemployment.
B a growth in the tourist industry.
C a reduction in the number of existing industries.
D the development of a number of service industries.Norwegian farmers and fishermen have an important influence because
A they form such a large part of Norwegian ideal.
B their lives and values represent the Norwegian ideal.
C their work is so useful to the rest of Norwegian society.
D they regard oil as a threat to the Norwegian way of life.
TV’s Harmfulness
Yes, but what did we use to do before there was television? How often we hear statements like this! Television hasn’t been with us all that long, but we are already beginning to forget what the world was like without it. Before we admitted the one-eyed monster into our homes, we never fond it difficult to occupy our spare time. We used to enjoy civilized pleasures. For instance, we used to have hobbies, we used to entertain our friends and be entertained by them, we used to go outside for our amusements to theatres, cinemas, restaurants and sporting events. We even used to read books and listen to music and broadcast talks occasionally. All that belongs to the past. Now all our free time is regulated by the goggle box. We rush home or gulp down our meals to be in time for this or that programme. We have even given up sitting at table and having a leisurely evening meal, exchanging the news of the day. A sandwich and a glass of beer will do – anything, providing it doesn’t interfere with the programme. The monster demands and obtains absolute silence and attention. If any member of the family dares to open his mouth during a programme, he is quickly silenced.
Whole generations are growing up addicted to the telly（电视）. Food is left uneaten, homework undone and sleep is lost. The telly is a universal pacifier. It is now standard practice for mother to keep the children quiet by putting them in the living-room and turning on the set. It doesn’t matter that the children will watch rubbishy commercials or spectacles of sadism and violence – so long as they are quiet.
There is a limit to the amount of creative talent available in the world. Every day, television consumes vast quantities of creative work. That is why most of the programmes are so bad: it is impossible to keep pace with the demand and maintain high standards as well. When millions watch the same programmes, the whole world becomes a village, and society is reduced to the conditions which obtain in preliterate communities. We become utterly dependent on the two most primitive media of communication: pictures and the spoken word.
Television encourages passive enjoyment. We become content with second-hand experiences. It is so easy to sit in our armchairs watching others working. Little by little, television cuts us off from the real world. We get so lazy, we choose to spend a fine day in semi-darkness, glued to our sets, rather than go out into the world itself. Television may be s splendid medium of communication, but it prevents us from communicating with each other. We only become aware how totally irrelevant television is to real living when we spend a holiday by the sea or in the mountains, far away from civilization. In quiet, natural surroundings, we quickly discover how little we miss the hypnotic tyranny of King Telly.What is the biggest harm of TV?
A It deprives people of communication with the real world.
B People become lazy.
C People become dependent on second-hand experience.
D TV consumes a large part of one’s life.In what way can people forget TV?
A Far away from civilization. B To a mountain. C By the sea. D In quiet natural surroundings.What does a mother usually do to keep her children quiet?
A Let them watch the set. B Put them in the living room.
C Let them watch the rubbish. D Let them alone.What does the first sentence in the first paragraph mean?
A We found it difficult to occupy our spare time. B We become addicted to TV.
C What we used to do is different from now. D We used to enjoy civilized pleasures.